Update: On December 23, 2008, the President signed this bill into law (P.L. 110-457).

On 12/11/08, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) (H.R. 7311).

The TVPRA includes provisions to promote the identification and protection of trafficking survivors and those who are eligible for asylum and other forms of immigration relief. Among other provisions, the bill includes important revisions to the T visa statute and requirements regarding A-3 and G-5 visas that are designed to expand protections for trafficking victims.

The bill also sets new standards for how immigrant children will be treated in custody, the kind of mental health and other services they will receive, and the conditions under which they can be repatriated. To read more about these new standards, read the analysis of Section 235 governing Unaccompanied Alien Children prepared by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.